Paper-cup dispenser.



E. C. BALDWIN.

PAPER CUP DISPENSER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. a, 1911.v

tar(

E. Cialdwin Zfw Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

witnesses PATENT onirica.

EDWARD C. BALDWIN, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

:PAPER-CUP DISPENSER.

specification of Letters Patent..

Application filed October 3; 1911.

Patented Sept. 8, A1914.. Serial No. (52,8%.v

To all lwhom it may concern v Be it known that I, EDWARD C. BALDWIN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the countyofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Paper-Cup Dispensers, of which the following is aspeciication.

This invention relates to apparatus for removing articles one at a timefrom a holder or magazine for a large number of such articles, andrefers particularly to dei vices of this character especially adaptedtoremove a very thin varticle from the bottom of a pile.

One of the objects of the invention isto provide a dispensing mechanismwhich will with certainty engage and remove one and only one of a pileor stack of folding drinking cups of the character illustrated andclaimed in my application filed March 10, 1911, Serial No. 613,663.

Another object is to provide a device of this character having meanswhich lcan be locked to prevent operation of the actuating slide.

A further object is to provide .means whereby, when lthe device islocked, an article can not be removed therefrom.

To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I willnow proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of so much ofthe apparatus as is necessary to illustrate the invention, a sideportion of the base being broken out. Fig. 2 represents a section online 2 2 of Fig. 1, and indicating one of the cups that is to bedispensed, by dotted lines. Fig. 3 represents a substantially centralsection from front to rear. Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4:-4 ofFig. 2. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is aview similar to a portion of Fig. 4, but illustrating a modification.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in allof the views.

A box-like receptacle or holder 10 is provided, the same beingrectangular in horizontal transverse section, and internally of a sizeto just receive a pile of the cups a which are placed in said receptaclewith their projecting end lips uppermost. The cup is formed with aprojecting lip b which is of one thickness, while other parts of the cupare two or more layers thick. As a matportions which comprise fourlayers or thicknesses; but for the ,presentpurposes it 1s sufficient'tostate that each cup has one side longer than the other, resultinginthe end of the longerl side constituting a lip b. The result of vthis isthat when the cups are arranged in the holder as indicated in Fig. 3,there'will be practically no pressure upon lthose portions of the cupswhich comprise the lips. -When the holder is full'or nearly so, ofcourse the upper cups of the`pile eX- y ertsuiflcient pressure upon thebottom cup, but in order that there will be sufficient pressure evenuntil there is but one cup vleft in the holder, I preferably employ aweight f such as indicated at 11, said weight being so arranged as tocause no downward pressure upon the lips of the cups. In the dispensingof thin paper articles, heretofore it has been difficult to insure theproper engagement of the lpusher with just one article, but by means ofthe mechanism presently described, one cup and only one can be engagedso as to be pushed out. This mechanism comsurface on which the pile ofblanks rest, said slide having a finger 'pull 13, a spring 14 beingemployed to normally retain the slide in the position shown in Fig. 3.This slide, as shown by comparing Figs. 2 and 3, has an area to entirely-support the cups so that no portion of the bottom cup, when being drawnoutwardly, will be dragged over any stationary surface. Therefore thereis and said cup can be easily removed. As presently described, thepusher 18 is upright and is so positioned as to engage only the rearedge portion of the lower layer or 4 ter of fact, eachouplhas"somefoveflapping I prises a slide 12 which forms the bottom or noliability of tearing or mutilating the cup,

half of the bottom cup, and does not enter between the layers or halvesof the cup to engage any other portion of such'cup.

T he holder and its slide are supported upon a suitable base 15, whichmay be in the form of a bracket whereby it may be secured to a wall orsecured otherwise in fixed position. The base is formed` with a' channel16 in which the spring 14 is mounted and confined between one end ofsaidchannel and a lug 17 which latter may be a lip bent downwardly fromthe sheet of metal which comprises the slide 12. The rear end of theslide is provided .with a shouldera or lug or upright 18 to constitute apusher to engage a-portion of the bottom cup. Said pusher los is locatedin such position relatively to the length of the slide that it cannotmove back.,

far enough to get beyond the edge of the lip t of the cup, andconsequently when the slide is drawn forward, the pusher engages therear edge of the shorter side of the cup 'under the lip and causes theother end of thecup which is the bottom of the cup when in use, to beejected far enou h so that the thumb of the same hand whic operates theslide can be `placed upon the e]ected cup which may be easily withdrawnthrough the front or delivery slot. To provide such slot, there is aslight space between the forward edge of the slide and the lower 'edgeof the' front wall 'of the holder as shown at 19.

The pusher lug 18 is preferably'somewhat angular as shown in Fig. 2, tdcorrespond with the edge of the shorter side of the cup so that saidpusher will contact with a sufli ciently extended portion of said edgeto perform its function of ejecting the cup `without liability ofbending or breaking the thin paper. In other words, the pusher has itsacting portion irregularly formed so asy to continuously engage acorrespondingly shaped portion of the article. 'llhe shape of thearticle, a paper drinking cup, is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig.2. The rentrant angle indicated by the dotted line adjacent the lefthand edge or surface of the pusher 18 indicates the shape of the edge ofthat side of the cup which is shorter than the other side, said pusher,as shown in Fig. 3, being underneath only that portion of the cup whichforms the lip b of single thickness. When the holder contains a largenumber of the cups, the weight of the pile' causes such a pressure onthe lower cup as to cause considerable frictional resistance to theejection of said lower cup. Consequently, if the pusher did notcorrespond in outline to the edge which is to be engaged for ejectingpurposes, the action of the pusher would be practically certain to mutilate the edge of the paper cu Moreover, the articles, to insure their eedelivery, must be somewhat loose laterally within the holder 10. Illhatis, there must be a tree space between the side edges of the cups andthe inner walls of the holder. By having the pusher correspond to theedge of the cup which is engaged by said pusher, the action of thepusher in ejecting the cup steadies and directs the cup through the slot19 in a straight line without liability, ci the cup swinging so. thatits other end would be liable to bind and resist ejection. lt is to beunderstood et course, that the paper is much thinner than indicatedFigs. 3 and d, the thiclniess shown in said iig being for purposes etclearer represen Said pusher or lug 18 is convenien d 'le by slotting aportion et the slide 'l2 bendn ing ene edge,

" intense V"llhe rear portion of the slide is preferably bent orinclined downwardly as indicated at 20v in Fig. 3, so that the extremerear edge will bear upon the. upper surface of the base 15, in order tosupport the rear portion of the slide in its reciprocating motions. The

lreason for having the lug 1,7 engaging an intermediate portion of thespring 14 1s so that the portion of the spring behind said x lug may.serve somewhatas a cushion to prevent the slide from being noisy whenstopped after a cup dispensing'operation.

@ne side edge 21 of the slide 12 is provided with a notch or keeper22(Figs. 2 and 5) for a bolt 23, which latter is controlled by suitablekey controlled mechanism of a lock, the casing of which is indicated at2d (see alsoA Fig. 1).

Whenever it may be desired to put the apparatus out of 'commission thebolt may be projected into the keeper 22 so that the slide can not bewithdrawn. When this is done, it is desirable that it shall not bepossible to remove a cup by inserting some inf strument through thedelivery slot 19. For this purpose I provide one or more litters 25,pivoted at 26 and each having a lug 27 which willlimitthe downwardmovement by contact with the bottom of the recess o base 15 in which thelifter is pivoted. VSaid lifters project through slots 28 in the slide12, the material `of the slide at one end of each slot 28 bein bent lina rearwardly and down-wardly inclined direction to constitute actuatorsthat will raise the litters 25 whenever the slide moves from the dottedline position `of Fig., 4 to the full line position of that figure, saidactuators 29 engaging thetips of the litters 25 and positively forcingthe lattenl upwardly so that they will elevate the'paper cups to a planeabove the delivery slot 19. As indicatedin Fig. 2, the pusher 18 is' solocated relatively to the length of the slide 12, that when the slide iswithdrawn, it can move far enough to remove the actuators 29 fromI thelitters 25 sutlicientlyl to permit the latter to move downwardly and letthe cups move downwardly so that the edge of the lower-most cup will bein position to emerge through the delivery slot 19 by the time thepusher 18 reaches the edge of the'shorter side ot the cup. @t course assoon as the slide is pulled out to substantially the position shown bydotted lines in Fig. 4l, the thumb or one finger ci the hand can be usedto take hold of the projecting portion of the partially ejected cup andpull that cup completely out. When the slide is released, the spring 1dre turns it and the actuating inclines 29 reengage the litters 25 andrestore the cups te the slightly' raised position indicated i 8 and il.

v As indicated in Fig.- 6, the litters, instead of being pivoted., maybe springs secured to inidoee the base l5 and having upwardly inclinedportions adapted to be engaged by the rear ends of the slots 28 4whenthe slide is pulled forward, so as to positively lower said springs.When the slide is returned to normal position, the springs rise throughthe slots and raise the lower-most cup above the delivery slot. Brieflystated, the dierence in operation is that the litters 3() move upwardlyby their own resilience instead of being -carried upwardly by theresilience of spring le in the other structure illustrated actingthrough the inclines 29.

in order that the apparatus may be easily put out of commission, withoutremoving the cups iom the holder, the bottominost cup, or any one ofthem at a predetermined number from the bottom, ina be reversed lt isessential of course t at the cups shall be placed in the holder withtheir bottoms or closed ends adjacent the wall which has the slot i9., Acup cannot be projected through the slot unless its longer side isuppermost to enable the lug or projeetion i8 to engage the edge orq theshorter side, as shown by comparing Figs. 2 and 3,

- the shape oi the cup being indicated by dot-l f in led lines in llig.2. lr a cup is reversed or other words placed in the holder upside down,such cup could not be projected because the lug or projection 18 wouldsimply reciprocate against the surface of the longer side or 'that cup,which surface would then e turned downwardly. lli the owner of theapparatus wishes to prevent any more of the cups from beine removed, hesimply unlocks the holder and turns the lowermost cup upside down; li'he wishes to limit the number ci cups which can be 4withdrawn by hisemployees, or others, he can select any cup above the bottom and reversethat one. For instance, if he reverses the eleventh or the nity-tiretcup from the bottom, only ten cups or nity cups respectively can besuccessively obtained. l-l'e does not have to take the cups out of theholder to put it' out oi commission. The holder can be stocked 'full andonly a predetermined number dispensed, by simply reversing any cup sothat its shorter side will be uppermost.

't is to be understood or' course, that the.

slide 12 may be locked or released by means of suitable coin-controlledmechanism, but since such would constitute a separate invention from thedispensing apparatus, l do not-illustrate coin-controlled mechanism inthe drawingn l. An apparatus of the character described, comprisingaholder to contain a pile of fiat paper cups, said holder fitting thepile to prevent edgewise movement thereof and having a delivery slot torthe lowermost cup, a slide having a pusher at a distance 'from the rearwall of the holder whereby said pusher cannot engage the rearmostportion of the cup, means for actuating said slide,and means forautomatically raising the lowerniost cup above the delivery slot whenthe slide is in normal position..

2. in apparatus oi the character described, comprising a holder for apile ci blanks, said holder having a delivery slet, a slide forsupporting the pile oie blanks and having a pusher, liters to raise thelower- Inost blank above the delivery slot when the slide is in its rearposition, and means for permitting said litters to drop at the beginotthe outward movement or the slide.

3. fin apparatus for dispensing elonga paper cups which are closed atone end a 3 have one side longer than the other to a projecting lip,said apparatus comprising a holder ier a pile oit the cups, the holderhaving a delivery slot, and a slide having a pusher near its rear end inposition to bear against the inner face or a cup lip without sliding thecup, whereby outward movement oiE the slide willcause said pusher toengage the edge of theshorter side of the cup and slide said cup bottom:first out through said slot, said pusher having its acting portionirregularly formed to continuously engage a` correspondingly shaped edgeci said4 signature, in presence ot two witnesses.

EDWARD C. BALDWllN.

Witnesses:

' A. M. Hniinison.

d., M. Muneer.

